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Katie's Travels
Well, what can I say - Sydney is just an amazing place! I am writing this now at the end of my first 4 months here, but lets just take a moment and journey back......
I arrived on the 18th March on Qantas flight 002 from Bangkok. At the airport I bought my Vodafone pre-paid sim pack and an international calling card to phone home and let Mum & Dad know I'd arrived safely and not been stopped in Bangkok Airport with heroin in my possession! I then managed to negotiate my way through Sydney's Rail Network and catch a train to Central Station in the city, where I swapped platforms and headed to North Sydney. This is where my first night's accommodation was. A bit of luxury in the form of The North Sydney Harbourview Hotel. My 'harbourview' room had the most stunning view of Sydney Harbour and the Bridge, anyway promptly conked out and slept for about 6 hours before getting ready later on and making my way back to the city to meet Lauren from work. We then went to Cargo Bar in Darling Harbour for a few drinks and made an unsuccessful attempt to get into 'The Loft'. Next day, I was out of my luxury accommodation by 10am and back on a train bound for the city and my home for the next 10 nights - Base Backpacker's on Kent Street. My first real taste of what youth hostelling was all about - and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Met loads of different people passing through the room every day, including Amy (with whom I walked Eastern Beaches Coastal Walk one day from Coogee to Bondi - and got horrifically sunburnt!) and Rhiannon and Ruth, 2 lovely welsh girls who had been over in Melbourne for 2 weeks supporting the welsh team at the Commonwealth Games (did I mention that the welsh team flew over to Oz on the same flight as me from Heathrow?). Anyway, after 10 days at Base - during which time I'd sorted out bank accounts, tax file numbers and doing the necessary, legally required, courses for bar-work in New South Wales - I found myself a nice apartment to move into. 10 minutes from Darling Harbour and close to Broadway, central station, Chinatown and Glebe, I settled in the city suburb of Ultimo. Moved into Unit 89 of the Acacia Apartments on Wattle Street with Haben (a removalist from New Zealand) and Helen (a English girl who left after 4 days to carry on with her travels). Spent 2 blissful months, just Haben and I. I had the twin room to myself, because despite advertising for another female, nobody showed any interest (which didn't bother me in the slightest!). Unfortunately, my run of good luck came to an abrupt end with the arrival of Reuben. Reuben works with Haben. He is dutch, but has spent a number of years in the U.S and so has acquired a very annoying American drawl. Needless to say, we didn't hit it off. The way I understood it in the beginning, was that he was only going to be kipping on our couch for a few nights, while his flatmate and his psycho girlfriend sorted out their domestic problems. However, a few nights turned into a few weeks and before long he was moving his clothes into the spare drawers in my room and eventually moved himself into the other bed. I was NOT happy, but being a typical Gemini - avoid confrontation at all costs, so I just bit my tongue and made the best of a bad situation. I can't tell you how much I disliked this guy though. We are complete opposites and he was absolutely insufferable to live with. Obnoxious, condescending, selfish etc etc etc. He also had numerous annoying habits such as leaving the window open at night - IT'S BLOODY WINTER!?! And leaving the bathroom looking like a tsunami had hit every time he had a shower, and then instead of leaving the door open so the floor could dry out - he'd close it and keep all the dampness contained!!! ARGH!!! Anyway, I patiently endured it for 2 and a half months and can safely say I won't be keeping in touch with him.
On the jobs front, I very almost got a job at Jenny's work - The Pyrmont Bridge Hotel - behind the bar. Completed my trial, got told I'd receive a call early in the week with some shifts, but then went on a night out with Jenny, Lauren etc and met folk from the PBH and basically some moronic guy took something I said the wrong way and BANG went my job! Next, I tried at Joanna's work - The Darling Harbour Pie Shop. Owned by a Korean couple I got the distinct feeling that the wife never really took to me. I lasted 2 weeks before being told to find another job. And so by that point I'd well and truly had enough of the hospitality industry, so desperately registered with a few recruitment agencies in the city. By this point, my funds were starting to dwindle and I was getting somewhat concerned. Was offered a job straight away for a month - in the Marketing Department at British American Tobacco out in the suburb of Eastgardens. It was completely and utterly Excel oriented, and my knowledge of Excel is by no means advanced. Took me 30 mins to get out there on the bus every morning (for an 8.30 start) and an hour and half to get back to the city again at night, the women were very unwelcoming to say the least and basically it was pretty miserable. I lasted a week and 4 days, before being told by my supervisor that they would need to get somebody who was more advanced with Excel in. Still, at least it was some money in my account. Shortly after that I landed a job in the PR department of the National Breast Cancer Centre, within the University of Sydney's Medical Foundation Building. It was a 30 minute walk from the flat, a 9am start, better paid and only required a basic knowledge of Excel! So I was there for 7 weeks in the end working on a worthwhile project - helping to set up 'the national directory of hospital based services for women with breast cancer. Enjoyed it though and NBCC seemed very happy with the work I put into it and have offered me their help in any way with any future jobs I apply for. Also, thanks to that job I met Jackie and Bec, who have been great to get to know and spend time with and inspired me a lot in different ways. It has also HUGELY improved my geographical knowledge of Australia, as I had to deal with hospitals and health centres right across the country, from the major cities to the remotest outback bush nursing post. Anyway, I can now tell you where to find such places as Wee Waa, Jabiru and Barossa, to name but a few.
It was great having Lauren and the girls here for my first month or so in Sydney and they really showed me the ropes and helped me settle in. Was sad when they left, but since then have met Frances and Luke, an English couple who, like me, are taking a year out to travel after University. Amazingly, Frances and I were both born on the same day - 9 June 1983 - and Luke and I were born in the same Hospital - Berkshire Royal in Reading. Quite freaky really! Anyway, it's been lovely spending time with them over the last couple of months - enjoying tapas at Encasa on a regular basis, drinks in Avillion and sharing stories of our travels and the endless (but enjoyable) struggle to survive out here as a backpacker. They too have had their share of s***ty jobs and dwindling funds, but we'd all still rather be here on the other side of the world, than trying to face life and a career back in the UK!
So what else have I done besides working? Well, I've been to Sydney Aquarium; Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens to see the fruit bats and feed the cockatoos; Palm Beach (aka Home & Away's Summer Bay); walked from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach and vice versa; been to the red carpet at the Australian MTV Video Music Awards and went mental with Lauren upon seeing our fave aussie soapstars!!!; survived a cockroach infestation in my apartment; suffered a bout of gastric flu; been abandoned in the middle of nowhere (not literally speaking) by a taxi driver because I hadn't requested he drive me far enough to make it worth his while or "pay his rent" as he so eloquently put it; been to Sydney's Olympic Park; gone on a day trip to the Blue Mountains; eaten the famous fish & chips in Watsons Bay before walking round to the Lighthouse (past a nudist beach, which to my amazement had about 6 men prancing about on it in the buff - OLD men I might add); Sydney's North Shore - Chatswood, Turramurra, Wahroonga, Hornsby; discovered the city suburbs of Eastgardens, Paddington, Newtown, Surry Hills, Camperdown, Glebe and Pyrmont; become thoroughly at ease with Sydney's train, monorail and bus networks; been to the Hyde Park Barracks Museum and Powerhouse Museum; enjoyed the fruitful delights of Paddy's Markets and the Paddington Markets; seen a couple of protests kick off on George Street; witnessed the St Patrick's Day Parade; walked around Sydney's historic 'Rocks'; cruised in Sydney Harbour; had a very drunken mid-week sesh in Scruffy Murphy's with Eve & Leona who made it all the way over to Oz for a wee holiday; dined in Darling Harbour; discovered the wonderful Iku macrobiotic wholefood shops; taken a Microsoft Excel refresher course to try and better my aussie career, haha - the list goes on and on.
All in all, I've had a thoroughly enjoyable time since arriving in March. Tough at times what with my unenviable living situation and countless job setbacks - however it's like they say, "What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger" and I really feel now, that if I can survive moving to a strange city on the other side of the world, by myself, and after 4 months, find myself feeling pretty settled - then I can pretty much try my hand at anything, anywhere!
And so, it's onwards and upwards. Northwards in fact, as I head up the East-coast over the next 6 weeks as far as Cairns. Can't wait to see more of what's out there and see what new challenges life will throw my way.
Plenty of updates and pics to follow over the coming weeks! x
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